


Hydrangea Blossoms

by Heart_Tart



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, I'm writing a fic for basically a crack ship what has my life become, ill be adding tags as I go cuz this is a mess, obvious mcguffin is obvious, read at your own risk seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 05:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5731897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_Tart/pseuds/Heart_Tart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Youmu Konpaku is generally a very nervous person, constantly worrying about doing work and appeasing her master, she thought no one else could understand her feelings until one day...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu decides to attend to her prized flower garden.

Youmu was up before the sun was. She loved waking up early in the morning to watch dawn come to the Netherworld. She wasn't even sure how that worked, but she didn't really care. The fruits of her labor bloomed before her, bundles of beautiful well-kept flowers of all kinds. In the back of her flower garden was the dreaded Sagiou-Ayakashi, decorated by its falling petals. Youmu relished this sight, her ghost half twirling in the air. Suddenly, she heard a very familiar voice.

"Oh, Youmu, could you come here?" It was her master Yuyuko. Youmu hurried to where she had heard Yuyuko's voice. She was sitting on the porch of Hakugyokurou, swinging her legs off of the edge, her feet barely scraping the carefully arranged sand of the Zen garden they kept there.

"Master! You're up very early! What could be the problem?" Youmu said, trying not to sound so casual. It was hard not to in her master's presence.

"Nothing much, I just made some tea, and I thought you would like some." Yuyuko said warmly, knowing Youmu couldn't refuse. Youmu let out a sigh and sat down on the porch next to her. Yuyuko took a cup of steaming tea that was sitting next to her, and passed it to Youmu. "Here..." She trailed off.

"Thank you, master." Youmu said, taking a sip of the still steaming tea. It was quite bitter, but had a slight taste of sakura mixed in. The two were silent for a moment. Gazing out upon the grand garden, and all that surrounded it. Spirits danced though the air with the falling petals of the flowers. To Youmu, there was nothing better than this.

"Ah, Youmu? What is going on with that plant over there?" Youmu snapped to attention.

"What plant? The garden has been tended to perfectly and-" Yuyuko raised her finger to point at a clump of wilted flowers sticking out like a blemish in the center of the garden. They both got up to inspect it. Drawing closer, Youmu found the crumpled bush, which she identified as a hydrangea. The once beautiful pink flowers had brown spots eating away at their petals. The stalk of the plant had become gray and twisted.

"Looks like you forgot to water it, eh Youmu?" Yuyuko murmured, with a slight smirk on her face.

"I don't think it's dead yet. I'm sure that this is a sickness, but what can we do about it?" Youmu pondered while looking at the poor plant. Surely if she didn't move it, it would spread the disease to all the other flowers in the garden.

"Why not go to the Eientei?" Youmu gave Yuyuko a surprised glance.

"Eientei?"

"Yes, Eientei."

"Wait, why?"

"Well, you know that there is a person there who can supposedly mix any kind of medicine. I bet that they could mix medicine for your plant too." Youmu felt a sudden nervousness rise up in her chest. She had only been to Eientei once, during the incident that had happened there a while ago. Something about that place... gave her the creeps. Looking back at Yuyuko's silent but pleading face, it looked like she had no choice but to go.

"Fine...I guess." She muttered.  
Youmu quickly returned to Hakugyokurou, and fetched a pot from inside. Carefully removing the hydrangeas from the ground, she placed them in the pot, and was on her way.

The walk down the steps of Hakugyokurou was a long, but familiar path. She went up these stairs multiple times every day while running errands and the likes. But that didn't make it any less lonely for her. After what felt like an eternity, Youmu reached the barrier between Gensokyo and the Netherworld. Passing through it like it was nothing, Youmu found herself floating in the early morning sky. She clutched the Hydrangea tightly as she flew towards the ground, shielding its fragile petals from the harsh winds. It wasn't a particularly cold morning, but Youmu felt chills as she approached the bamboo forest.  People got lost in there right? Like, they died in there?  She worried to herself. The more she thought about it, she realized that the only reason that she had found Eientei the last time was purely by accident!

Youmu dashed into the forest without another thought. She had to at least try to find the place. The stalks of bamboo never seemed to end, not to mention that the early morning fog obscuring the sky didn’t help either. Youmu had no idea where she was going; taking sharp turns in different directions in uncoordinated intervals. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears forming in them she was going to mess everything up like usual. She kept running until -smack-! She had run into something, that wasn't bamboo.

Youmu staggered backwards and opened her eyes. It was a tall wooden fence, which contained a large palace-like structure. She had actually found it! Youmu practically jumped for joy, and rushed along the length of the fence to try and find the entrance. She didn't want to upset the residents by simply flying over after all. Youmu came to an opening in the fence, which was decorated with two tall, intricately carved posts on either side. There was a rusted placard on the fence next to the entrance that read "Eientei". There was nobody around, so Youmu went right in.

She passed through the courtyard, which was surprisingly empty. The grass rustled in the early breeze, and Youmu could hear a slight ringing of a wind chime somewhere. She reached the two large front doors of the Eientei, and rapped on them slightly. She heard shuffling behind a door, and then a loud yell. Youmu stepped back as the doors slid open quickly. On the other side, was not the person she expected.

A moon rabbit girl slumped over, gripped the door, and looked breathlessly up at Youmu. She had long purple hair, and was still in sleeping clothes. Youmu remembered seeing her during the incident, her name was Reisen, right? Reisen's ears twitched as she tried to speak through breaths.

"Hey... uh... welcome to Eientei!" She paused and looked down at her clothes. "Oh...sorry...I...it's still pretty early so I didn't have time to change."

"No, It's really fine." Youmu mumbled, still in a bit of shock.

"So what brings you here?" Reisen said, straightening her posture. Youmu held her potted hydrangea closer to her.

"Well... my plant is dying, and I heard that your master can make any kind of medicine. Do you think she could make something for this?" She pointed to her plant.

"Oh yeah. Wait here a minute." Reisen said. She ran back into the mansion before Youmu could say anything else. Youmu stood on the porch, and fidgeted a bit with her fingers, which were still grasping the cold pot. That girl...Reisen, she seemed pretty nice… She thought. Youmu felt like if they got to know each other more, maybe they could relate to each other. Well that would never happen, Yuyuko kept her busy most of the time so...

"Hi, I'm back!" Youmu jumped. Reisen had reappeared in the doorway.

"H-hi Reisen! Uh, what's up?"

"Oh, my master is still asleep, so it'll be a while until she can help you. Do you want to come in?" Youmu's heart practically stopped.

"Sure, I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading this! I'm working on the next chapter, it'll be much longer than this one so look forward to it! Also, I based the netherworld's entrance/exit on the one from "Memories of Phantasm", (that fanime from a while back) so sorry if it was a little bit confusing. Also, I like to imagine that Youmu forgets that she's basically dead (and doesn't have to worry about dying and such), so she freaks out a little bit at things that normally wouldn't be threatening. That's all for now! Thanks again! :o


	2. House of Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu meets the fam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the duplicate notes at the end of the last chapter, I've tried fixing it to no avail, so hopefully it won't happen again.

Youmu stepped into the front room of Eientei and slipped off her shoes. Reisen paused.

"Oh, you should leave... those by the door." She pointed at Youmu's swords. "The rabbits don't like having weapons on the house." While Youmu didn't like being separated from her precious blades she obliged.

"So... what should we do?" Youmu thought it was kind of strange to just enter someone's house like this, but she supposed it was only customary.

"Oh, right! Here, I'll make some tea. Just follow me and try not to get lost." Reisen turned the corner, and Youmu followed suit. The halls of Eientei were incredibly long, with many rooms and stretching corridors on either side. Youmu could hear the faint sound of breathing coming from inside the rooms, which were probably the aforementioned rabbits.

"How do you navigate this place?" Youmu murmured while they took a sharp left turn.

"You get used to it after a while. Especially after you have to run errands all the time." Reisen said between breaths.

"Really? I'm surprised that someone this pretty has to run-" Youmu stopped and quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment. Reisen turned around, who also looked somewhat sheepish. "I-I'm sorry, it just kind of came out and... Let’s keep going." Youmu felt a weight of shame press into her as they kept walking. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and pretend like that never happened.

"It's okay, really." Reisen mumbled, her tail twitching. In no time they reached the end of the long hallways. They entered a large room that looked like a very well kept kitchen. Off to the side, was a small dining space, with a porch opening out to the still-foggy bamboo forest. Most items in the room seemed to be made out of bamboo, even the circular window frames and the kitchenware.

"This is your kitchen, right?" Youmu said as she looked around.  
"Yes, most of the time the rabbits do most of the cooking, but I don't mind helping out once in a while." Reisen replied with a gentle smile. She opened one of the cabinets in search of something. Youmu placed her potted hydrangea on the table. 

"Really? I have to do all the cooking myself where I live." Youmu watched as Reisen lit a small fire over the teapot.

"You must be good at it then." Reisen said as she fished out a box from the cabinet, and emptied its contents into the now boiling water. "So the tea will take a few minutes, feel free to make yourself at home." Youmu paused. Where? She thought. Her first instinct was to move to the side room, and found herself sitting down on the edge of the porch, but unlike her master she kept her legs in place. 

Youmu looked out of the huge mansion. There was a dirt yard outside, with a few straggly flowers growing around the edges. Beyond the large fence enclosing the mansion Youmu could see the tall bamboo stalks leading into the fog for seemingly no end. Her attention moved back to the flowers. 

“Don’t you guys have a garden or something?” Youmu turned her head to face Reisen, who was watching the tea attentively, but still glanced at Youmu. 

“Well, my master grows medicinal plants around the house, but really, the rabbits generally neglect what used to be the garden. Nobody seems to really want to refurbish it since we're all kind of lazy.” Reisen let out a small sigh and shrugged slightly. Youmu took a breath in anticipation. This was her chance! She could ask: Oh, could I help with your garden? And then she’d be able to come back again! But, before Youmu could say a word, Reisen mumbled “Ah, the tea’s ready!”

Reisen came over to Youmu with two steaming mugs, and sat down right next to her on the porch. “These are pretty hot, so be careful!” Reisen said with a little pep in her voice. Youmu picked up her mug and took a small sip. This tea was different from the tea she had this morning, it was green tea, maybe. She placed her mug back down on the porch, and shot a glance at Reisen, who looked deep in thought. Her purple locks shimmered in the breeze, and her eyes sparkled in the early daylight. Youmu didn’t realize how long she was looking until Reisen turned back to her. Youmu snapped her head forward, pretending like she hadn’t been straight up staring at Reisen for the past few minutes. 

“So… uh what’s up?” Youmu murmured with a noticeable waver in her voice. She took another sip of her tea. 

“Um… well… not that much I guess, uh…” Reisen struggled with her words. “Lately it’s been pretty boring around here, I mean nobody really does much. I of course still run errands and stuff in the human village, but lately there’s been kind of a lack of… really any kind of excitement.” 

“Yeah, I always have my hands full with duties too, so I know what you mean. Life sort of loses that luster after you do the same thing over and over again, right?” 

“Yeah! That’s it!” Youmu took another small sip of her tea. But before she could reply, she heard the creak of the sliding door near them. 

“Reisen? Who is here?” Youmu turned around to face the mysterious voice; it was smooth but sent chills down her spine. She faced a woman she thought she had seen before. She had long straight black locks that shimmered in the early morning light, and a long pink dress that reached the floor. The look in her eyes showed age, and yet she seemed very young. Youmu began to remember. Princess Kaguya Houraisan, who was the cause of the imperishable night incident, was standing in the doorway.

“My lady!” Reisen jumped up and ran to Kaguya’s side. “What are you doing up so early? Please, sit down.” Kaguya gave a slight smile.

“I was just wondering what all of the commotion downstairs was about. Oh, have you seen Eirin this morning?” Kaguya sat down at the table, exerting an absolutely regal aura. 

“I’m afraid not, my lady. She is still asleep.” Kaguya let out a small sigh and then turned to face Youmu directly. 

“And who is this?” Reisen jumped, she had seemingly forgotten that Youmu’s presence was odd at all. She stammered to try and explain what Youmu was doing in their house, but before she could respond, Kaguya kept talking. “Youmu… Konpaku, right?”

“Yes.” Youmu said briskly and gave a nod. 

“So, I assume you’re here to see Eirin right?” Youmu gave another nod. “I suppose it’s nice to have somebody new around here.”

“Yeah.” Reisen said. “My lady, do you need anything? Food perhaps?”  
“No, I’m fine for the time being. I know that Eirin works you very hard, so I’ll hold off.” Kaguya’s eyes lowered wistfully as she spoke to Reisen. Something about her just seemed… very intimidating. Just before Reisen could reply, loud crashes sounded from somewhere down the hall. There was a stampede of tiny footsteps and the sliding door whipped open. 

Rabbits. Hundreds of rabbits poured into the room. They spilled out onto the porch, and ran in excited circles. Neither Reisen nor Kaguya seemed surprised by this. In the center of the pandemonium, there was a rabbit girl who had the stature a small child, looking rather proud of herself. She wore a simple pink dress and a charm in the shape of a carrot around her neck. Once most of the rabbits had piled out of the room, the girl gave a hearty shout. 

“Good~ mooorning~ Reisen and Kaguyaa~!” She only then noticed Youmu’s presence. “Wait, who’s this?” She came a bit to close to Youmu’s face for comfort, and scanned her from top to bottom thoroughly. 

“This is Youmu, she’s visiting today.” Kaguya said calmly. 

“Oh, so you finally found Reisen a playmate? Awwwwww~!” The rabbit girl spun in a circles and made kissy faces. Kaguya let out a little giggle. Reisen (who was blushing furiously) slid over to where Youmu was. She tried to keep a straight face as she said: 

“Don’t worry, it’s just Tewi.” So that was this girl’s name. Tewi moved over to the kitchen cabinets and began rifling through some unseen goods. 

“Well, I’m starving, so don’t mind if I do.” Tewi pulled out a cucumber and began gnawing on it, skin and all. Taking a closer look, Youmu noticed her teeth were pretty sharp. Kaguya slowly moved her head to face Reisen.

“Since all of the rabbits are awake, Eirin will probably be up soon. She works very late, you know.” Kaguya yawned again. Youmu nodded. As if on cue, the sliding door slid open once more. 

Another woman came into the room. She had long silver hair tied into a neat braid, and a deep red and blue dress decorated with constellations. Her nurse hat was a telltale sign that this was Eirin. Youmu remembered seeing her for a short time the last time she was here. 

Eirin stepped into the room and sat down at the table. The whole house seemed to go quiet after she had come in. Reisen was the first to break the silence. 

“Good morning, master.” She dipped her head and Eirin gave her a slight smile. 

“Good morning Reisen, and I assume this is Youmu?” Eirin shifted her gaze to Youmu. Her deep gray eyes were intimidating, but they gave off an almost motherly feeling. Youmu nodded in response. “Well, our guest has been waiting long enough, why don’t we deal with your problem now?” Eirin rose up from the table. “Reisen, you come too.” Reisen faltered as she tried to say something, and eventually just moved to follow Eirin. Youmu scooped up her hydrangea and ran after the two just as they left the room. Kaguya murmured a quick goodbye. 

The halls of Eientei were somewhat lighter than they were before, and Youmu found it easier to navigate through the twists and turns. Both Eirin and Reisen moved with absolute precision, probably because they had gone through these halls hundreds of times. They reached the end of a long corridor to meet two large sliding doors, one the adjacent wall there was a placard that said “Yagokoro Laboratory”. 

The room itself was big, but also felt quaint. There was a cot in the corner, and all of the walls were lined with jars and jars of herbs and other mysterious substances. Where did they even get all this stuff? Youmu thought. 

“I’ve heard about your plant already.” Eirin said. She approached Youmu and gazed down at the shriveling hydrangea. “Reisen, please get me a magnifying glass.” Reisen ran to a cabinet and quickly brought a magnifying glass. 

“Here master.”

“Thanks.” Eirin lifted the pot out of Youmu’s hands, and although she was hesitant she let go. Eirin placed the plant on the previously mentioned counter towards the side of the room, and looked at it closer with the magnifying glass. There was an air of suspense in the room, and although Youmu had had plants die on her before, she really hated it. 

“So…?” Reisen said. 

“This plant is dying fast. Whatever sickness it has is eating away at its life quickly. But, I still think we can save it. Too bad, to get a sickness so early in its life …”

“Do you have all of the ingredients you need?” Reisen’s voice wavered with worry. 

“I think so. If I need anything else I’ll inform you and you can pick it up later.” Eirin turned momentarily to Youmu. “I suppose this concludes your visit. I hope you don’t mind that I keep this plant here to observe.”

“No! I don’t mind at all! In fact, I really have to thank you for helping me out!” Youmu gave a bow out of respect. “I suppose I should get going now, Lady Yuyuko probably wants me to so some errands.” Eirin smiled before turning back to the plant. 

“Reisen, please show her out.”

“Okay, master.” Reisen glanced at Youmu. “Well, you heard her.”

They began their long walk out of the labyrinth off hallways that was Eientei. Youmu didn’t want to leave yet. This was the first time in a while where she had met other people, and they liked her. She felt like she was always treated as some sort of expendable, like she had no feelings because she was half-dead or something. But really the opposite was true, and when she realized she felt more like herself around Reisen it was already too late to say anything more to her. 

“Here we are.” Reisen looked at Youmu once again. It felt like only a second had gone by, but somehow they were already at the entrance. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” There was an awkward silence. The only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the birds from further into the forest. 

“Well then, uh… that was nice.” Youmu sputtered.  Just tell her what you want! Rang out through her mind. “Maybe I’ll see you around… or something.”  Really smooth, Youmu. She resisted the urge to hide her face in shame.

“Yeah! Okay, bye! Oh, and don’t forget your swords.” Reisen lifted Youmu’s swords up while Youmu slipped on her shoes. Youmu reached to grab her swords out of Reisen’s hands, and just for a moment, their fingers touched. For one amazing moment, Youmu felt the warmth seeping out of Reisen’s fingers into hers. It filled her with a feeling that she could only describe as “nice”. They both drew back their hands at the same time. 

“Well, bye…” Youmu mumbled, stepping out of the house. 

“Yeah. Also your fingers are really cold.” Reisen said just as she closed the door. Youmu couldn’t help letting out a snort. 

She rose into the air, securing her swords onto her back. This time, she was going to fly over the bamboo; she was not risking going through all that again. The bamboo leaned over a bit at its ends, covering the roof of Eientei from view, but if Youmu flew high enough she could probably see it and find her way back again. Rising higher into the sky, she accelerated towards the gate of the netherworld. Surely, Yuyuko was waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Gee, that sure was a lot wasn't it? (I suppose it was a lot more to write than to read...) I'll try to keep the chapter length more consistent in the future. Also, I have midterms and such, so it may be a while before the next update, but who knows? (I may occasionally edit this because I always find grammatical errors in my things after I post them.)


	3. Nightfall in the Netherworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu can't sleep so she goes out to get a drink. Things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there's still an issue with the double notes, and I have no idea what it is. I'll look into it more if it happens again in this chapter.

Youmu couldn’t sleep at all. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept wandering back to Reisen. Her face, her voice, _her personality_ , Youmu wanted to see her again. After mulling it over for a while, Youmu decided that if she couldn’t sleep, she might as well make herself useful. Hakugyokurou was deathly silent that night, and Youmu slipped out without making a sound. The netherworld was pitch black, save for the spirits dimly illuminating the sky. Youmu floated off the ground slightly as she made her way down the stairs (she’d rather not fall). She had taken this path so many times she didn’t need her vision to know where she was.

 

The skies of Gensokyo murmured with the sounds of the late night wind, and Youmu could’ve sworn she heard a shout coming from somewhere near the forest of magic. Youmu descended into the human village, but as soon as her feet hit the ground she realized that all of the shops would be closed at this hour! Well, she supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to grab a drink since there wasn’t much else to do. In the words of Hieda no Akyuu: drinking is the way people socialized in Gensokyo.

 

Youmu’s favorite place to grab a drink was a yakitori stand (well it wasn’t quite yakitori, yakiunagi perhaps) that usually bordered the human village and the youkai forest. Humans didn’t like mingling with youkai much, and others like Youmu often frequented that stand, since it was run by a youkai after all. Youmu made her way through the village as quietly as she could. The moon and the stars were clearly illuminated in the sky, creating a beautiful view and a helpful light source. After a bit of walking, Youmu exited the village and saw a small orange light in the distance.

 

After a few more minutes of walking, Youmu reached the stand. It looked like there was no one else there at the moment besides the owner. The owner in question was named Mystia, a night sparrow who specialized in grilled lamprey eel. Youmu slipped through the shop curtains and sat down to the satisfying crackle of the grilling eels.

 

“Hello, Youmu! What’ll it be tonight?” Mystia looked up from her workplace and twitched her ears excitedly.

 

“Just some sake, thanks.” Youmu said.

 

“No food?”

 

“I’m not particularly hungry right now.”

 

“Really? Too bad, these are fresh off the grill.” Mystia shrugged, lifted a stick of grilled eel off of the grill, blew on it a bit, and then took a bite. At this point Youmu even wondered if she was a bird. Mystia set down the eel and poured Youmu some sake into a short glass. “If you want a refill, just ask. But it’ll cost you extra!” she winked. Mystia was her peppy self as usual.

 

Youmu took a drink and set her glass down. She didn’t want to get too drunk because it would be pretty hard to navigate home in complete darkness in that state, and she definitely did not want to get a gentle yet reprimanding earful from her master. She leaned back in her chair a little and stared at the smoke rising out of the grill into the night sky. She realized her mind hadn’t been on Reisen in a while. She hoped that after her plant was cured she could just forget about whatever her feelings were towards Reisen and just go back to living whatever sort of monotonous life she was living before. Then she heard footsteps approaching from somewhere close by.

 

Leaning to look out, Youmu saw a figure drawing closer to the stand. The person was wearing a simplistic white shirt and pants, with a conical straw hat tied tightly to their head. They were carrying a huge woven backpack on their back with little trouble. Youmu drew her head back inside to continue drinking, when suddenly she heard Mystia sing a welcome very cheerily. The person sat down next to Youmu, and took a glance at her. Suddenly, a small smile formed on their lips.

 

“Hey Youmu!” Youmu swore she had never met this mysterious person before, which was odd. How did they know her name? Before she had time to respond, the person took of their hat, revealing their locks of long purple hair and a pair of rabbit ears. Their deep red eyes shimmered the same way Reisen’s did. It was totally her. “I didn’t think I’d find you here!” _God, she looks really cute in that outfit_. Youmu’s frantic thoughts delayed her reaction. She looked back at Reisen, trying not to make a fool of herself as usual.

 

“Heh, yeah. I don’t come here much.” She sighed in relief inwardly as Reisen scanned the menu. “Oh, do you want me to order you some eel or something?” Reisen looked back a bit sheepishly.

 

“Sorry, I’ll just get a beer. I don’t eat meat, remember?”

 

“Coming up!” Mystia hummed.

 

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Youmu messed up already. She could still save this, though. _Just keep calm._ She thought.

 

“So, why are you here anyways?” Reisen looked attentively at Youmu.

 

“Uh, I couldn’t sleep very well last night so I came out here I guess… more importantly, why are _you_ here?” Youmu managed to control her voice enough for her to sound normal.

 

“Oh, yeah. Eirin asked me to gather some herbs and stuff for the medicine she’s making for your plant. I’d feel bad if it died, so I wanted to go out right away. Luckily, everything I needed was pretty close by, and I wanted to stop for a drink or two.” Mystia handed Reisen a beer and she took a sip.

 

“Well, I guess weird stuff happens… right?” Youmu tried to shrug, but failed horribly, her joints tensing up in one rigid motion. Reisen let out a snort, but after seeing Youmu’s somewhat crestfallen face she stopped.

 

“Sorry…” She mumbled. “I just think…”

 

“No! Really it’s okay! I just um, make mistakes a lot and stuff.” Youmu felt that familiar heat of embarrassment growing on cheeks.

 

“No way! It’s really fine if you mess up. I find that when you do, it’s really cute.” Reisen let out another small snort, a small gleeful smile forming on her face.

 

“Oh… great…” It had to be the alcohol. There was no way Reisen would call her cute right to her face, and yet she had barley had a sip. Maybe Youmu herself was drunk? Youmu smiled a little too, even if she was in some sort of drunken stupor (which she was not), she had to enjoy the moment. It still didn’t stop her from getting a bit embarrassed though.

 

“What are you doing after this?” Reisen asked.

 

“Going home, why?”

 

“Yeah, I figured. I was going to ask if you wanted to visit me tomorrow, but I assume your master will need you.”

 

“Yeah, she really does. But wait, I can come over to see my plant tomorrow! You’ll have to keep it planted there for a while, so I can come back a bunch of times.” Youmu watched a playful smirk appear on Reisen’s face.

 

“You’re a genius. I’ll see you then, I suppose. I should probably get going now, bye!” Without another word, Reisen hoisted her backpack onto her back and started to leave. “Oh, here’s your payment, Mystia.” She slid a few coins onto the counter and turned around. Tying her hat into place, she walked back into the night.

 

“Wait! You didn’t even finish your drink yet! Can I really accept this?” Mystia shouted after her.

 

“Wait… bye!” Youmu called. That whole scene had gone so fast for her, but at the same time it felt like she had been sitting there for hours, just lost in Reisen’s presence. She took another sip of sake.

 

“I guess you’re going to leave now too, right?” Mystia said while rotating a few grilled eel kebabs around on the grill.

 

“Yeah, I suppose.” She fished around in her pockets and pulled out a few coins. “Here you are.” She left them on the counter and rose out of her seat. After she passed through the shop curtains once again she heard Mystia shout:

 

“Whooo! Today’s my lucky day! Maybe I’ll sing a song about it~” That was Youmu’s cue to scram. Mystia was a great bartender, but her songs were an acquired taste.

 

Youmu flew back into the sky, making a beeline for the netherworld gate. She thought about the way Reisen called her a genius. Sure, she received praise all the time from Yuyuko, but praise from other people was a rare event. It made her feel wanted, loved even. It was still very dark outside, and the sun looked like it wasn’t going to rise soon. She hurried back to the netherworld thinking about Reisen, and what happened.

 

What did she just agree to?

 

Youmu realized halfway up the steps to the netherworld what was unfolding before her. She really liked Reisen. And she was going to see her again, a number of times perhaps. It hit Youmu like a cold brush against her cheek, making her clamp her hands over her face as she heated up even more. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was feeling, of how to describe it. Then, she wondered: _Did Reisen feel the same way?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for reading! Quick note: I tried to base Mystia's yakitori stand off of what little I know about it, but feel free to correct me about things if I'm wrong. Also, the outfit Reisen wears is based on her appearance in chapter 21 of Forbidden Scrollery (Here's a good image: http://puu.sh/mCnuF.png). That's all for now!


	4. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu goes back to Eientei to retrieve her plant, some stuff goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FIXED THE DOUBLE NOTES THANK GOD  
> There may be occasional small edits for grammar, etc.

Youmu’s eyes flew open causing her to cringe and give and shut them again after the bright morning light flooded her vision. She slowly opened her eyes again and sat up. Judging by the light, she guessed it was still early morning. Youmu got up and dressed quickly, securing her swords comfortably on her back (just in case). She stepped onto the porch outside of her room, feeling like she had forgotten something. The events of the previous night rushed back into her head.

 

Panic flared up in her mind, causing Youmu to take a few anxious paces in place. She was going back to Eientei! _Would it be weird to arrive at this hour?_ She thought, unsurely moving her feet to the edge of the porch of the house. She decided just to go anyways, and took off. Just as she reached the edge of the netherworld stairs, she realized she hadn’t even greeted her master that morning. Youmu took a small glance back at the mansion, but kept moving on.

 

Youmu wasted no time on her trip back to Eientei. Her eyes fleeted from stalk to stalk of bamboo searching for the rooftop of the mansion, which peeked just barely over the forest. Once her eyes rested on what she was looking for, she took a sharp dive downwards, making sure to avoid collision with any bamboo. Once she reached the ground, Youmu continued forward at the same pace as the gate of Eientei came into view. Just before the gate, she noticed an odd pile of leaves right in the center of the pathway. Youmu stopped and floated down to the ground.

 

Youmu stood still and stared at the odd clump of leaves for a moment. She carefully sent her ghost half to inspect the pile, and when it nudged the leaves, they collapsed into the ground, revealing a deep hole in its place.

 

“Awww, I was hoping you would fall for it!” A voice came from behind the fence. The speaker came into view and quickly revealed themself to be Tewi.

 

“Why would you put a pitfall trap right in front of your own home?”

 

“To prank people, obviously.” Tewi sneered.

 

“But then you’ll have to fill that huge hole back up!”

 

“S’fine. The rabbits can take care of it.” Tewi shrugged and turned away from Youmu. “So, coming back to see your girlfriend?” Youmu could almost feel Tewi smirking.

 

“No! Nothing of the sort! I’m just here to check on my hydrangea!” Youmu’s face reddened as she tried to keep herself from drawing her swords on Tewi at that very moment.

 

“Fine. But you can’t hide anything from me around here.” Without another word Tewi disappeared. Youmu felt herself heating with rage, but took a deep breath. She had to control herself, as usual.

 

Floating over the pitfall, Youmu entered the gates of Eientei and approached the door. Without even knocking, the door flew open, and Reisen (who was actually dressed properly this time) was waiting on the other side with a grin.

 

“Hey! What’s up?” Reisen beckoned Youmu inside.

 

“Oh, not much. I’m just here to check on my plant.” Youmu couldn’t suppress a smile as she was lead into the mansion.

 

“We’ve managed to heal it by the way! Eirin’s busy at the moment, but in a little bit we can give your plant back to you…” Reisen looked back at Youmu, looking a bit saddened by the realization that Youmu would leave so soon.

 

“Too bad… I guess…” Youmu mumbled. Reisen led her through the hallways again, into the kitchen. Kaguya was sitting at the table, but when she noticed Reisen, she stood up and walked out of the room, mumbling a quick hello to Youmu as she passed.

 

They both sat back down on the porch of Eientei once again, gazing out at the yard.

 

“Hey, Youmu. We’re… friends right?” Reisen gave Youmu a serious glance, which threw her off guard a little. Youmu had to focus to not stare at Reisen a bit too much. 

 

“Yeah. Of course we are! Friends…” Youmu never knew anyone well enough to really consider them a friend, well she supposed she did now.

 

“Really? I’m glad.” There was a pause between the two.

 

“Reisen… am I doing a good job at being your friend?” Youmu said seriously.

 

“A good job? What’s that supposed to mean?” Reisen said playfully. Youmu’s face reddened a bit.

 

“Seriously. Am I adequately reaching the criteria needed to-” Reisen cut her off.

 

“There’s not any sort of guidelines for being friends with someone! You just kind of are-” Youmu interrupted this time.

 

“But I just want to-”

 

“Seriously! You need to stop being so uptight about everything! It’s okay to be considerate about how other people feel, but the way you’re acting right now is sort of annoying.” Reisen stood up. “Come on. I’m sure Eirin will be ready to see you by now."

 

As Youmu stood up, Reisen’s words hit her like a slap to the face. She had really messed up this time, just because she was being too self-conscious. The two were completely silent during their walk through the halls, which only made their last words to each other sting even more.

 

Reisen slid the door to Eirin’s clinic open, and proceeded inside without even a look back at Youmu. Youmu entered, and was met with Eirin, who was holding her potted hydrangea. It was in perfect condition, and its blossoms were captivating.

 

“You’ll be glad to know that I fixed your plant right up. I thought it would take longer, but it made a fast recovery.” Eirin smiled and held the pot out a little farther. Youmu quickly grabbed it, and then gave Eirin a bow.

 

“Thank you so much!” Youmu said.

 

“No problem, and if you ever have any other concerns, you can always come back.” Eirin gave Youmu another smile. “Reisen, if you would.” She gestured towards the doorway. Reisen let out a huff and began to leave the room. Youmu followed.

 

The walk back seemed like it couldn’t go any slower. Neither of them said a word, and the tension was so thick Youmu was unsure if she could cut them with her swords. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the exit. Youmu picked up her belongings and slipped on her shoes without even a glance at Reisen- she couldn’t bear it. Youmu stepped outside.

 

“Bye.” Reisen said with a chill in her voice. Youmu flew away without a response.

 

* * *

 

 

Youmu returned to her room and placed her Hydrangea on her floor. _Oh god, what did she do?_ Youmu couldn’t believe what she said, and now her relationship with Reisen was slipping away from her. That was it. Maybe she was just overthinking it. _Stop it._ Overthinking things was what got her into this mess in the first place. Youmu paced frantically in the space, unsure of what to do.

 

“Youmu? Could you come here?” Yuyuko’s voice called out. That’s right, she didn’t even say hello to her master that morning either. She felt shame wring at her heart as she stood up to face the music.

 

“I’m coming!” She called back. Yuyuko was sitting at the table in the kitchen, sipping tea. “What is it master?” Youmu bowed sharply.

 

“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to say good morning to you since you weren’t here earlier.” Youmu was stunned. Was this what it was always like? Had she just not noticed while always preparing for some kind of harsh attitude? Yuyuko never lost her temper, ever. Surely this was some kind of ruse, Youmu was really overthinking things. “You seem a little down, Youmu. What’s wrong?” Youmu sat down at the table and let out a sigh.

 

“It’s nothing I guess. I just got into a little fight with Reisen, and now I realized how stupid it was. Oh yeah, you’ll be glad to know that they did manage to cure my hydrangea!” Youmu gave a little smile of half embarrassment and half pride.

 

“Really? I’m glad to hear that. Oh, would you mind making dinner tonight?”

 

“Of course, my lady.” Youmu set herself to work immediately, deciding to make a larger dinner to make up for her absence. Her worries tugged at the back of her mind, but Youmu thought there was no way now she could set anything right.

* * *

 

Youmu was setting the table when she heard Yuyuko’s call.

 

“Youmu? Would you come here?” She rushed in the direction of Yuyuko’s voice, to find her standing in the center of the flower garden. “You might want to see this.”

 

“What is it?” Yuyuko gestured at a bush of hydrangeas. Their leaves were blackened around the edge, and the stalk drooped towards the ground with the dead weight.

 

“I was looking at the plants, and it looks like that pesky sickness came back. You have the medicine, right?” Youmu felt her stomach sink.

 

“I… don’t.”

 

“Well, it looks like you might have to go back to Eientei, right?” Youmu thought she saw a grin flash over Yuyuko’s face.

 

“I’ll… do it tomorrow. Besides, dinner is ready, so you should come inside.”

 

“Oh really? I’m right behind you.” They both turned to walk back to the house.

 

Youmu was really dreading the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I think this is probably going to be one of the last chapters, sorta playing this by ear but I can maybe estimate one or two more short chapters before the end. This whole fic is a huge mess, but if you've gotten this far I have to thank you. Somewhat unrelated but: has anyone else gotten into stupid fights like this in real life? I can certainly say I have.


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youmu goes back to Eientei... again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time this fic gets views I die a little more inside (not really, but some reviews would be appreciated?)

The afternoon was approaching and Youmu hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. She didn’t want to face Reisen again, not after saying all of those stupid things to her. She felt like even just being in her presence was a pain for Reisen, but she couldn’t stay away. The memories still lingered like a fresh wound in her mind, causing her to wince a little at the imaginary pain of those few moments being replayed over and over again.

 

Youmu got up and prepared herself for the day as slowly as she could, trying to delay her inevitable visit. However, she could no longer wait any longer, so she took a deep breath and stepped out of her room.

 

The trip to Eientei couldn’t be any slower for Youmu, every second felt like hours to her. She began to think more and more about what would happen when she got there. _What if Reisen hated her? What if they got into a bigger fight over something… stupid again?_ She didn’t want Reisen to hate her, but Youmu already felt like she had lost her. She just felt, really stupid, and also really confused.

 

After what felt like years, Youmu reached the front gates of Eientei. It seemed oddly quiet, unwelcoming even. Youmu stepped up to the front door and gently knocked. No response. She knocked again a little bit harder. There was a muffled shout from somewhere, and then hurried footsteps coming closer. Youmu braced herself for her confrontation with Reisen, but the person who opened the door was Tewi. In between breaths Tewi beckoned Youmu inside.

 

There was not a sound to be heard in the hallways of Eientei. Without a word, Tewi led Youmu to the kitchen once more. Youmu didn’t want to go back there, but she obliged. She entered the silent room and stood in the center.

 

“Eirin’s asleep, but she’ll be up soon. Just wait a bit.” Tewi mumbled. Youmu wondered if she had heard what had happened between her and Reisen. What even did happen between them? Maybe her fuzzy memory had blown the whole thing out of proportion.

 

“Uh… I just need the medicine, I forgot to take it with me yesterday.” Youmu replied.

 

“Oh. I guess I could get that for you.” Tewi said after a long pause. She slipped out of the room, leaving Youmu completely alone. She supposed that Kaguya wasn’t awake either; otherwise surely she would be here. Youmu let out a long sigh, and leaned against the kitchen’s countertop. It seemed like she was going to be here for a while.

 

Youmu lost herself in her thoughts, and didn’t notice the sound of the door sliding open once again. When she did look up, she was staring directly at Reisen, whose face was an uncomfortable shade of red.

 

“… Hey.” Reisen shattered the silence.

 

“Um… what’s up?” Youmu stuttered back. They both tried to avoid each other’s glances, but failed horribly. Youmu couldn’t take it anymore. It was now or never. She had to at least _try_ and get her feelings out. “I… guess I should apologize for um-“

 

“No! _I’m_ the one that should be apologizing! Seriously. I’m really sorry for being so rude and stuff I just-“ Reisen was practically shouting.

 

“It was my fault for bringing it up and being weird about it! I just… have a lot of really confusing feelings about this, and you, and I… think I kind of like you… I guess.” Youmu placed her hands over her eyes. Reisen was silent for a moment.

 

“Listen, let’s just forget about that, okay? It’ll be easier if we agree that that whole thing was stupid, and it’s over, and we’re fine now.” Reisen stepped closer to Youmu, who seemed a bit surprised at how easily they had sorted out the conflict. “And… you know… I think I kind of like you too…” Reisen glanced to the floor, awaiting Youmu’s response.

 

If Youmu wasn’t already half dead, her soul would’ve escaped her body out of pure joy at that very moment. Instead, she felt her face heat up as she realized more and more what this meant. Not knowing what to do, Youmu wrapped her arms around Reisen’s small waist, clasping her hands together on the other side.

 

“Really?” She breathed.

 

“Yeah… Wait!” Reisen jumped. You’re so cold! Let me go!” She shouted, trying to squirm out of Youmu’s firm grasp.

 

“Nope. It’s time for hugs.” Youmu said with a grin, squeezing Reisen closer to her and lifting her off of the ground slightly.

 

“Nooo...!” Reisen let out a laugh, and hugged Youmu back. Reisen paused.

 

“Youmu, I thought that you… hated me or something.” Reisen said.

 

“Where did you get that idea? Out of all things, I thought that _you_ wouldn’t have liked me!”

 

“Are you kidding? You’re like… so great… and nice and stuff! I sort of thought my feelings would ever be returned by you though.” A soft shade of red dusted Reisen’s cheeks.

 

Youmu was a hair length away from Reisen’s face, and she couldn’t help but lean in and give Reisen’s nose a small kiss. Reisen’s face became a deep red and she buried her face into Youmu’s shoulder.

 

“You’re so cute…” Youmu whispered. She could hardly maintain her mature attitude in the presence of Reisen, much less in the grasp of her.

 

“Yeah…” Reisen said, muffled through Youmu’s shoulder. Youmu just wanted to be like this forever. She still couldn’t believe how quickly everything had just resolved itself. Reisen suddenly lifted her head up, looking straight at Youmu (Youmu thought Reisen had some sort of ability that had to do with her eyes, but Reisen didn’t seem to be using it). In one swift movement, Reisen leaned in and pressed her lips onto Youmu’s.

 

The kiss wasn’t particularly passionate, but it felt just right for the two. Youmu lost herself in Reisen’s lips. They were so small, and soft and the way they felt was unlike any feeling Youmu had ever experienced before. Youmu gripped Reisen a little tighter, savoring everything about the moment.

 

“Youmu I brought the medicine…” A voice suddenly came from the other side of the door. Before Youmu could do anything, the door slid open. Reisen’s ears stood up suddenly alert to Tewi’s presence in the room.

 

Tewi stood in the doorway with a shocked look growing on her face. She said something like “Geez…” and set down the medicine package on the floor without taking her eyes off of the two. She left the room just as soon as she had came in, leaving Youmu and Reisen both in shock.

 

Reisen separated her lips from Youmu, and let out a small gasp while sinking back into Youmu’s shoulder. A muffled “sorry” came from Reisen. Youmu hadn’t realized that her face was bright red, but it became painfully obvious to her that Reisen was extremely flustered.

 

“Haha… that happened.” She said, moving slightly to accommodate Reisen’s head on her shoulder once more. Youmu leaned against the counter and slid down to the floor carefully, still holding Reisen.

 

“Don’t you have to go work or something?” Reisen said, picking her head up.

 

“What, do you want to get rid of me?” Youmu smirked.

 

“No, I just… thought you would be busy!”

 

“Good point, but Yuyuko can probably handle herself for a morning.”

 

“I suppose. Hey, do you think you have time to work all this… _stuff_ out later?”

 

“I shouldn’t stay that much longer I guess.” Youmu sighed.

 

“Oh! I just remembered that I have a day off in a few days, we can talk then!” Reisen twitched her ears excitedly.

 

“Really? In that case, I’m going to get going now.” The two began to get up and Youmu stiffly clutched onto Reisen’s hand for support.

 

“You don’t have to be so tense about this, just relax.” Reisen said, giving Youmu’s hand a squeeze. Youmu loosened her joints a bit and gasped. It was still and odd idea to her that her and Reisen were…  _together_.

 

“Right, sorry.” Youmu picked up the medicine from the floor and let go of Reisen’s hand. “See you later, I suppose.”

 

“Let me walk you to the door, I insist.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Thanks for being patient I've been super busy. Also this is my first attempt at writing affection, so sorry if it seems a little... disjointed?


	6. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go on a lame date!!!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what to title these chapters

“Come on! We’re going to be late!” Reisen shouted through clouds of breath.

 

“For what?” Youmu trailed behind her, listening to the crunch of bamboo leaves under her shoes. There was a pause, and a rather unattractive snort from Reisen.

 

“I don’t know!” She laughed, running up to Youmu and grasping onto her hand in an attempt to pull her forwards. “Why are you so cold?”

 

“I’m dead.” Youmu tried to reply flatly but she couldn’t help but break out into a grin. Reisen laughed again, her cheeks rosy from the cold. The two kept walking deeper into the bamboo forest. “Seriously, where are we going?” They were way off of the “path” and Youmu had no sense of where they were. Reisen however seemed to know exactly where they were going.

 

“You’ll see. Oh look! It’s right up ahead!” She stumbled forwards towards a nearby clearing, still gripping Youmu’s hand making Youmu stumble over herself and hit the dirt face first.

 

“Oof.” She didn’t feel much pain, but it certainly wasn’t comfortable laying down flat on the ground.

 

“Oh!! Are you okay? I’m so sorry!!” Reisen frantically helped Youmu up, and they ended up standing face to face and hand in hand. Reisen frantically tried to apologize for ruining their date but Youmu just waved it off.

 

“Now that I’ve gotten a nice view of the ground, let’s see what we _really_ came here for.” Youmu smiled. She didn’t even care about falling down or embarrassment or anything. Well, not when she had Reisen by her side. Still holding their pose, the two entered the clearing coming right up to the edge of a steep cliff. The bamboo forest continued around and below it, and Youmu didn’t even know it existed. She could see almost all of Gensokyo from there, from the nearby human village to the foggy shape of Youkai Mountain in the distance. “Wow…” She breathed.

 

“I knew you’d like it.” Reisen said, looking straight into Youmu’s eyes. Youmu looked back. Youmu drew closer to Reisen, and very gently placed a peck on her cheek. Reisen flinched a little and then laughed. “You’re so colddd!” She giggled, and then kissed Youmu back.

 

The duo spent the rest of the afternoon on the cliff, laughing, and when the sun began to set it was like they had known each other their whole lives. As a chilly breeze ran over their heads, the two got up again and went back into the forest.

 

“You know, it would be a shame to end this right here you know.” Youmu said.

 

“Hey, if I could, I’d never want to end this. But we know that can’t happen, so how about a drink on me?”

 

“Totally!” Youmu shouted, pumping her fist in the air. “Oh and Reisen, one more thing.”

 

“What?”

 

“I love you.”

“Like I didn’t know. I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...That was shorter than I expected. Anyways, I'm glad I finished this, and if you've made it this far thanks for reading!! For now, I'm going to go train in the mountains to hone my writing skills, or something like that. Bye for now!!


End file.
